One Year Later: Gabrielle's Journey
by Warrior-princess1980
Summary: A look at Gabrielle's life one year after Xena's death and her journey back to Japa, where it all happened. Chapter III Part I now posted, please read and review
1. Chapter I: One Year Later

**One Year Later: Gabrielle's Journey**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Xena Warrior Princess. Universal Studios and Ren Pics own those rights. This story is not done for profit but for fun and entertainment.

This is my first work of Fan Fiction please feel free to read and review, any comments are welcome.

The one year anniversary of the death of Xena was soon to arrive. It had been a very long year for Gabrielle. She had faced some pretty tough years before, but this one by far had been her worst ever. Her perception of time was dreadful; minutes seemed like hours, hours like days, days like years. For the first time, Gabrielle was completely alone. She had no one, well she had Sara and Lila, but no one who completely understood her, like Xena did. After returning to Greece from Japa, Gabrielle had found herself wondering how she was going to deal with this loss and pain. She had not let herself think about it on the boat ride back to Greece, because if she had, she would not have made it back.

It was just a few days now until that horrible anniversary. How was she going to get through it? Could she find enough strength within herself to make it through the day? These were some of the questions that kept repeating themselves in Gabrielle's mind.

Every morning over the past year, she had awoken hoping to find Xena already up and into her daily routine, that this somehow was just a terrible nightmare that was finally over. But Gabrielle had no such luck, as everyday for the past year she awoke to silence. The silence was enough to drive the most mentally sound person mad. The emptiness she felt inside had grown everyday over the past year, until she felt like an empty shell of her former self. When she looked in the mirror she did not recognize the face staring back at her. It was a stranger, one of infinite sadness, anger, and resentment.

Yes, she was still angry. Angry at whom and what, was the question now. She was angry at Xena, the Fates, and the whole world. She resented the fact that Xena had done what she had done, and did not think enough of Gabrielle to tell her, the real plan of that fateful day.

The day, oh yes that day, it replayed in Gabrielle's mind every waking moment of everyday for the past year now. She could not shake it, if only she had realized what was going on! Xena had acted strange from the moment they arrived in Japa. She should have seen the signs. Xena asking her what she would do when the town was on fire, and of course the pinch. That should have been the alarm right there. It was a dead giveaway, that of all the times to show her the pinch, Xena chose that moment. And the words Xena spoke to her "If I had only thirty seconds to live, this is how I would want to live them, looking into your eyes," would now haunt her forever. Looking back now, she would have followed Xena instead of leading the troops in the wrong direction as Xena had ordered. Even if it had meant she would have died along side Xena, for at least they would have been together. Because now, Gabrielle was left wandering the earth in her own personal hell.

Gabrielle had isolated herself from the outside world. She traveled around the known world, but she did not stop to make friends or much less visit any old friends. Avoiding the tough questions of Xena's death was her main goal. She had broken off all contact with the Amazons; she felt her time there had passed. Gabrielle had not seen Eve since she told Eve of her mother's death. She could not bear to look into Eve's eyes because all she saw was Xena staring back at her. As for returning to Poteidaia, that was not an option. Lila and Sara still lived there, but Gabrielle had felt distanced from them for some time now.

The rumors went around that Virgil, Joxer's eldest son, had search for Gabrielle upon learning of Xena's death. Gabrielle had kept her distance and decided she would see him when the time felt right. She even changed her appearance to keep the gossip down in each town she traveled through. She darkened her hair to brown and kept the Chakram hidden from sight. She did not care for people knowing who she was, because with that came the questions and that was just too painful.

Sure she still fought; there were the occasional thieves who only saw her as a helpless little girl. She saw fighting as a release from her pain, because she could forget all about what had happened and how she felt, if only for one moment. It allowed her to let it all out, and to feel some peace once again. As for the bard in her, she had let that part die along with Xena. The stories were no longer there.

The day could not have been better. There was not a dark cloud in the sky and the ocean was at an eerie calm. The warm sea breeze helped calm her seasickness, which over the years became less of a problem for the young warrior. Gabrielle had decided she would spend the anniversary of Xena's death in Japa where it all happened. This is the place she knew she would feel closest to her fallen friend. It almost seemed too painful to return, but perhaps this journey would help her deal with some closure. As the boat neared the shore, Gabrielle could see the outline of the town that was on fire when they arrived almost one year before. It had seemed to have grown and prospered over the last year. Gabrielle knew that people would recognize her the minute she set foot on land, because of the large dragon tattoo on her back. So, to keep this from occurring, Gabrielle wore a long full length cloak to cover it. The tattoo on her left calf was easy to hide with the boots she wore.

As the boat docked, Gabrielle felt apprehensive about going through with her plan. Yet, she also knew it was something she had to do. Besides she had already traveled all this way, she could not let it be for nothing. It would take at least a day to arrive at the foot of Mount Fuji, the place where she had last seen Xena. This would put her arriving there on the same day this all happened.

As she walked through the streets, memories replayed in her mind. She could see the water tower being punctured in order to stop the raging fire; she could see her and Xena standing there on top of it as if it was yesterday. She thought to herself that this was a bad idea, that it was a mistake to have come back, but something in her head told her to keep going.

The paths had not changed much in a year, everything still seemed the same. Gabrielle had decided she would travel half way before setting up camp. This ensured her that she would be alone in the woods and no one had the opportunity to recognize her. She found the perfect spot to set up camp; it was off the path, about a mile beside a small stream. Gabrielle could fill up her water skins and catch some fish for dinner. Catching the fish had always been one of Xena's favorite things to do. It somehow calmed and relaxed the mighty warrior. Since Xena was gone, Gabrielle finally learned the art of fishing. She would never be as good as Xena was but she managed to make do. She caught a couple of salmon and prepared them for her meal. After dinner was finished, Gabrielle sat by the fire staring into the flames, reflecting on the last year of her life. Had she disappointed Xena by shutting herself off from everyone? Probably, but then again why did she care what Xena thought? She lost that power over Gabrielle the minute she died.

Soon after Gabrielle finished that thought, a cold chill ran down her spine, and she looked around nervously. Somehow, she felt like there was someone else around. But she saw no one, and there was no sound except for some birds, and the crackling of the fire that was burning low. She was alone again. Gabrielle sighed and shook her head. This was just her mind playing tricks on her again. She would do better to get some sleep, for tomorrow would be a long and hard day.

The sunrise awoke Gabrielle from a dreamless sleep. She got up and decided to cook some fish for breakfast. As she sat there staring at her meal, Gabrielle once again had the feeling that she was not alone. "Go away, you are not welcome!" she yelled out. If her mind did not stop this non sense she was going to go mad. No one was there!

She quickly finished eating, then packed up her things, and started heading towards the mountain. It was about mid day when she saw the mountain come into sight. Soon she would be there, the place where her personal hell had begun.

When Gabrielle finally arrived, the sun was at its highest point in the sky. This was it; there was the place where she first caught the mighty Chakram. She still carried with her the sacred katana, with which she could turn the fountain on. She looked around to see if anyone else was on the mountain with her. She was as she wished to be, totally alone. With that thought in mind, she removed the cloak she had been disguised in. She felt a cool breeze hit her as she stood there looking around at the surroundings. Since no one was around to witness who had possession of the sacred katana, Gabrielle decided that she would unlock the fountain. She inserted the katana and turned it around, much like a key. Gabrielle watched quietly as fountain slowly filled up. She reached down for her bag and pulled out a medium sized pouch, the pouch she kept Xena's ashes in.

Once again, she felt someone's presence upon her. She once again ignored it, sat the pouch on the edge of the fountain and leaned over to look in. Gabrielle saw her reflection in the clear water like a mirror. Her emotions were running wild. "I am here, I made it back home," she said quietly.

When she spoke the words, she knew them to be true. For the first time in a year she truly felt at home, because her home was where Xena was. "I have lived a year without you, and it was hell, the worst and hardest thing I have ever done, I can not bear it anymore, it hurts too badly. How do you expect me to continue like this? I want it to end and today it will, in someway or another," Gabrielle spoke, tears rolling down her face.

As she wiped the tears from her eyes, Gabrielle felt someone place a hand on her shoulder. She was almost scared to look. Had she finally push herself to insanity? Gabrielle slowly turned around, but before she could look up, she now felt the hand touch her cheek. The touch was warm and very familiar; Gabrielle kept her eyes closed, afraid to open them. Then a voice said, "Its okay now, I am here, everything is going to be okay, I promise."

Gabrielle had to catch her breath. This could not be her! It couldn't be! The female warrior slowly opened her eyes to see the clear blue eyes of Xena staring back at her. The two warriors warmly embraced like there was no tomorrow, and Gabrielle's tears of sadness turned to tears of joy. "If I am dreaming, please don't ever let me wake up," Gabrielle sobbed.

"You're not dreaming, I am here at least for now," stated Xena softly as tears began to fall from her eyes as well. Gabrielle broke the embrace and gazed upon Xena with worried eyes "For now? what do you mean for now? I can't go through losing you again."

"Gabrielle shhhhh, just listen for a minute," Xena said with a half smile as she tried to calm her friend down, "There is a chance that everything can be fixed, but first you have to just calm down and listen to me, I don't have much time." Xena took Gabrielle's hand and sat down on some rocks next to the fountain. "Well tell me Xena, I am listening, I will do whatever it takes," Gabrielle stated with a stern and determined tone in her voice.

_To be continued………_

Please read and review questions, comments, and suggestions always welcomed.


	2. Chapter II: An Old Friend Returns

**Chapter II: An Old Friend Returns**

Xena knew Gabrielle's words were true; she felt them in her heart. "We only have one chance to get this right, and we have to do it on the anniversary of my death, I have faith in you Gabrielle," Xena replied softly staring down at her friend. She hated putting this weight on the young warrior's shoulders, but there was no other way. "The key to bringing me back is you Gabrielle."

A look of confusion swept over the bard's face as she replied, "Me? What do I have to do with this? I don't understand."

"The dragon tattoo, it is the key, the one that will restore me," stated Xena as she placed her hand firmly on Gabrielle's shoulder.

Gabrielle was still trying to recover from the shock of Xena's statement, taking a minute to collect her thoughts and answered, "My tattoo, how can that be? I thought it was only for my protection."

Xena knew that Gabrielle did not know much about the culture on this side of the world, so she calmly explained the meaning of the dragon. "It is for protection, but in this culture the dragon is also considered a sacred creature. It has many powers that which includes the power of regenerating life."

Silence came between the two, while Gabrielle tried to process all this new and startling information that Xena had laid upon her. "But how? How do we unlock its powers?" she softly whispered.

"You must drink from the fountain," the raven haired warrior answered as she stood up. Reaching down to help Gabrielle up, she continued to explain, "The fountain unlocks the dragon's spirit that rests inside you, when the spirit is unlocked so are its powers."

Gabrielle slowly walked towards the fountain. Xena could sense that her young friend was afraid. She understood that pressure to accomplish this was great, but still she put all her faith in Gabrielle.

As Gabrielle peered over the edge of the fountain, the only thought going through her mind was that this better work. To lose Xena all over again, would be something she could not make it through this time around. Using her hands as a cup, she filled them with water. She slowly raised them from the fountain and drank the water.

A weird sensation came over Gabrielle; she could feel something awakening inside her. As the feeling overwhelmed her she fell to the ground. The tattoo on the bard's back began to glow.

Xena stepped back in amazement. The form of the dragon arose from Gabrielle's back. The spirit of the dragon had successfully been awakened. The spirit now moved towards Xena, and with a flash of white light their spirits merged.

It was nightfall when Gabrielle woke up; she could not remember what had happened after she passed out. As she slowly sat up, she tried to remember if it was real or if it was just a bad dream. Finally able to stand, she got up to look around. There was nothing, it was dark and eerily quiet. "It must have all been a dream," the young warrior said as she dropped her head.

Then a voice from nowhere stated, "No it wasn't a dream Gabrielle it was real, as real as I am now." A tall dark figure stepped out into the moonlight. The bard quickly raised her head with tears of joy in her eyes.

"Xena," Gabrielle said with a smile even the gods could not have missed, "By the gods it's really you."

"Yes, it's really me," replied Xena with a half grin, as she warmly embraced her friend.

"How long have I been out?" Gabrielle asked with a look of confusion on her face.

"At least a couple of hours or more," Xena said as her grip tightened on the embrace, "I decided to let you sleep, you needed the rest. Plus, I needed sometime to adjust to having my body back again."

Silence fell upon the women for what seemed like an eternity, for neither one of them spoke a word. They did not have to speak because words could not express how they felt. For Xena, it was the feeling of relief because Gabrielle would no longer be in pain. For Gabrielle, it was the chance to forget about the past year and begin to live her life again.

"How about we set up camp here for the rest of the night," Xena stated as she broke the embrace, "I bet we could both use the rest."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Gabrielle replied "Yeah I think your right."

As it had always been, Gabrielle set up camp while Xena gathered the wood for the fire. Neither one of the women planned on getting much rest that night, because there were going to be questions that had to be asked.

The fire was now at a steady flame and the stars in the sky were as bright as they had ever seen.

It was pleasant night as there was no chill in the air. Everything seemed at peace that night. The two sat by the fire, Xena on one side and Gabrielle on the other.

"So, we have a lot of catching up to do," Gabrielle said as she peered across the fire at Xena.

"Indeed we do, but some of it can wait. As you know Rome was not built in a day," Xena answered now grinning ear to ear. A slight giggle then emerged from the two warriors.

"It's good to hear you laugh again, Gabrielle," Xena remarked, "I've missed that."

"Well it's nice to finally have something to laugh about, laughter is not something that came around too often this past year," the young warrior answered back as she began to watch the flames.

Xena watched Gabrielle closely; she knew what the bard's first question would be. "I know your wondering what happened to the 40,000 souls."

"Yes, I thought you were supposed to stay dead in order to redeem them," the young bard replied, in amazement as if Xena had read her mind.

"Well there is nothing to worry about, they have all been reborn," Xena answered as she leaned back on the rock behind her.

A look of exhaustion had now come over Gabrielle's face; the amount of strength it took to unleash the dragon's spirit had now started to take its toll on the brave warrior. She would never let Xena know just how weak it had made her.

Xena sensed that Gabrielle needed her rest and decided to call it a night. For she knew, that the journey they were about to embark on would not be an easy road home.

_To Be Continued…_


	3. Chapter III: The Long Road Home Part I

**Chapter III**

Xena watched the sun rise the next morning. She sat in amazement, the orange and yellow hues of the sun rose over the horizon; it was her first sunrise in a year. She had not slept much that night, being dead had given her all the rest she needed for awhile. Xena spent most of the night trying to picture what Gabrielle's life must have been like over the past year. The picture that kept running through her mind was painful. As she sat there watching the young warrior sleep, she quietly whispered to herself "How am I going to make this up to you?" as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

The sun was almost overhead when Gabrielle finally awoke. She slowly sat up and stretched her arms above her head. As she sat there, she began to wonder if all the previous events of the day had just been a dream, until she looked over her shoulder and saw Xena seated on a rock near the fire.

"By the gods, it seems as though I have slept longer than usual," Gabrielle said with a smile.

"Well you needed the rest, and I know better than to wake you too early," Xena gave Gabrielle a devilish grin, "you're sure not a morning person."

"Cute Xena, very cute," stated the young warrior playfully as she began to stand up.

"What Gabrielle, I am only stating the facts," answered Xena with a now innocent expression on her face.

Gabrielle shot the leather clad warrior a darting stare. "I know you're itching to go kill something, so what's for breakfast?"

"I was thinking of hunting some deer, that way we would have enough meat left to dry out for our trip home." Xena slowly began to gather up her weapons

"Sounds like a plan," replied Gabrielle as she began to reach for something in her pack, "but first you might want this to help you with your hunt."

Xena's eyes lit up as Gabrielle pulled the object from her pack. As she saw the look her friend's face, Gabrielle tossed the chakram towards Xena.

After she caught it, Xena held up the weapon examining every part of it. She then clipped the chakram onto her belt.

"It looks much better on you anyways," Gabrielle walked by Xena with a grin.

With a raised eyebrow and half grin, Xena answered, "I bet."

"Well, I better get to hunting or it will be afternoon before we eat, I will be back as soon as I catch something," the raven haired warrior stated as she walked towards the trees.

Gabrielle watched her friend as she disappeared into the forest, she could not believe that this had really happened, that Xena was alive again. She now felt as if she had revived her soul along with the warrior princess, and fate had given them both a chance to live again. Feeling a bit light headed and overwhelmed, Gabrielle quietly sat down and wept tears of joy.

Meanwhile, Xena was in the woods tracking her prey, she loved to hunt. It gave her a chance to work on her stealth and tracking skills, and the time alone gave her a chance to think about how she would go about being in the bard's life again. There were a lot of things that had yet to be said and she knew over time they would eventually come out, but right now things were going okay although the journey was not going to be as smooth. The tracks that the warrior had been following lead out to a clearing in the forest. As she looked up from the trail of hoof prints, she saw the buck grazing in the grass about fifty feet away.

"Okay, I am going to make this as painless as possible." She slowly lifted the chakram from her belt. As she raised it up ready for the throw she thought to herself, "Come on and hit your mark." With that said she gave it a mighty hurl, and within a few seconds the deer hit the ground dead. When Xena arrived at the lifeless body of the deer, she saw that the chakram had indeed hit its target piercing the deer in the heart, killing him instantly.

Xena arrived back at camp carrying the prey atop her shoulders. Gabrielle had found some herbs and a few vegetables to cook along with the meat.

"Well, looks like you had a good time," Gabrielle smiled as the warrior laid down her prey.

"Yeah, well if felt good although I'm a little rusty on the tracking, but it will all come back in time." Xena then began to prepare the meat to be dried and cooked.

After a quiet meal, it was now time to discuss plans on the journey back to Greece.

"So, have you thought about how we're going to get back?" Xena handed her plate over to be cleaned.

"Actually I have it already planned out." Gabrielle stood up with the plates in hand. "How about I go into town and secure our passage at the port, while you stay here."

"Stay here for what?" Xena was now curiously looking at the bard.

"Because Xena we can't have you going into town and scaring the villagers." She looked down at Xena in amusement, "you are supposed to be dead, remember."

"Oh yeah, I see your point." Xena returned her friend's look of amusement.

"I say we leave like I came in, unrecognized." Gabrielle was now finished with the plates and began to place them back into her pack.

Xena stood up and walked over and retrieved a water skin. "Well you did a good job of it, I would not have recognized you, by the way I like your new look."

"Thanks, I'm glad you do." Gabrielle picked up her cloak and began to put her weapons into place.

The warrior princess knew there was more behind the story of the hair change, but now was not the time to get into it. She knew better than to push her friend for answers.

"I will be back as soon as the passage back to Greece is secured," Gabrielle stated as she threw the cloak over her shoulders. "Try to stay out of out of sight and out of trouble until I return."

"Very funny, I think I can manage by myself." Xena walked over and placed her hand on her friend's shoulder, "You be careful and don't take any unnecessary chances." It had not taken Xena long to resume her protective role with the bard.

Gabrielle replied with a slight annoyed and humorous tone "I'll be back before you miss me." She then made her ways towards the path.

"I doubt that," Xena whispered as she watched the young warrior walk away.

It did not take Gabrielle long to reach the village. She made her way through the streets and finally to the port, there she spoke to the port master about which ships would be heading to Greece. He informed her that there was at least one ship that was setting sail shortly after sunset and pointed her in the direction of it. Gabrielle made her way to the ship, which was located at the end of the dock. There was a man standing on the dock next to the ship watching the cargo being loaded on board.

Gabrielle greeted the man as she approached him, "Good day sir, how are you?"

"Good day Miss, I am good thank you," the man replied to the beautiful woman standing before him.

"I was looking for the captain of this ship, I hear it will depart for Greece tonight, do you know where I might find him." The bard now flashed her charming smile at the older gentleman.

"That would be me, how can I help you?" the captain replied back.

"Well, I need to buy passage for two on your ship. I am willing to pay you two hundred dinars for it, including our help if needed on the trip." Gabrielle was hoping the captain would accept her offer; it was indeed a quite generous one.

The captain rubbed his chin. "Two hundred dinars, that's a lot for a trip back to Greece. We don't usually take on passengers but I could make an exception this one time."

"I will pay you one hundred dinars before we set sail, and the other hundred you will receive when we arrive in Greece. Oh and one more thing, anything that you or your men witness while we are aboard, I would like your word that no questions will be asked. Do we have a deal sir?" She had improved her bargaining skills over the years and had become pretty good at it.

The captain held out his hand, "Little lady, you have yourself a deal. We leave around midnight tonight."

Gabrielle took the captain's hand and with a smile said, "We will see you tonight then, thank you."

She stopped by a few shops, picked up some supplies and headed back to camp. The bard was almost to there when she felt that she was being watched. Nobody had followed her back from town she knew that much. There was only one person this could be.

"Okay whoever is there can come on out." There was a hint of laughter in her voice, after all those years she had finally caught the warrior princess sneaking up on her.

The famous war cry was sweet music to her ears. As she turned her head in the direction it came from, she saw Xena flip out of the tree behind her.

"Show off," Gabrielle said with a slight grin.

"What? I decided to get some exercise in." Walking up to her friend, Xena placed her arm around her shoulder. "So did you find us a way back home?"

"Yes I did. We leave at midnight tonight and here I got you something." She smiled happily, handing a bound package to her friend.

Xena quickly opened the package to find a long grey hooded cloak inside. "Thanks, seems to me that you have everything under control."

When the warriors awoke it was now time to go, they collected their things and head back to town. The moon was particularly bright that night. The rays are their guide leading them down the road. When they arrived the streets were empty, it was late and most of the people had returned to their homes for the night. With few people on the streets there was little to no chance of being recognized. As Gabrielle and Xena approached the port, they saw the captain patiently waiting on the dock.

"Good evening sir looks like a fine night for sailing," Gabrielle said as she shook the captain's hand.

The captain smiled and replied, "Indeed it is Miss, the water appears to be calm and at ease."

Gabrielle reached down in the side pocket of her pack and pulled out a small purse. "Now down to our business at hand, here is your one hundred dinars as promised." She handed it over to the captain. "The rest of course you will receive when we are in Greece."

The captain looked briefly in the pouch and then closed it. "I hope you fine ladies find your quarters suitable."

Xena finally broke her silence, "I am sure we will sir, thank you for your hospitality and if there is anything we can assist you with on the voyage, please let us know."

After the two women were aboard, they headed down below the deck to inspect their living quarters. The rooms contained only the bare necessities which were a bed, desk, water pitcher, and a small bowl. With the inspection completed, the two women walked back to the deck and watched as the town slowly disappeared in the dark.

Xena was a bit more relaxed now, she was glad to be gone from the place that caused them so much pain. It felt like a large weight had been removed from her shoulders. She looked over at the bard who was silent. "Are you okay, Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle looked up at the much taller warrior and softly spoke. "I am fine, I was just thinking of the last time I left this place grief stricken and alone. I didn't know what to expect when I came back here and if someone had told me that you would be with me when I left again. I would have told them that they were insane."

"I know how hard it was for you to come back, if I had been in your place I don't think I could have." The guilt of putting Gabrielle through all that pain still overwhelmed Xena. "You're a strong willed person; you don't know how much I admire you for that."

"Well what can I say, I had a good teacher," the bard replied as she placed her had on Xena's back. "I don't know about you but I am ready to call it a night."

"I agree. I could use a good night's sleep in a bed."

With Japa behind them, tomorrow would be a chance at a new beginning for them both.

**Part II: Coming Soon!**

**A/N: Sorry you guys its taken me so long to post school has been crazy, I have been writing just not on what I have wanted too. I have been sitting on this for awhile and decided to go ahead and post what I have, I starting on part two in the next week or so since I am now on break. Thanks for the ones that are still hanging in there. As always I love the feedback good or bad so let me have it LOL :-)**


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